Truly, Madly Viking

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Summary: An interesting collegiate summer reading assigment
Review: After reading Truly, Madly Viking by Sarah Hill at the bequest of my new alma mater, I must say that I was genuinely, well, elevated. The book brings into focus the greatest themes in literature (i.e. love, sex, psychology, Vikings) in a modern context, both literally and stylistically. Hill's dramatic use of subtle metaphor (cf. "rooting for truffles") compares favorably with our school's other summer's reading assignment and literary tour de force, Mendel's Dwarf by Simon Mawer.

While the reader's imagination may be strained by the technical feasibility of the plots in both books, he or she must admit that the incredible accuracy and attention to psychological detail that both authors render their characters in more than compensates. Indeed, so vivid was the portrayal of angst on the part of Jorund in Truly, Madly Viking and Benedict in Mendel's Dwarf that whatever doubts may have assailed me were quickly subsumed by a (north-Atlantic) tide of bathos. Speaking of baths, that is a good place to read either novel.

While most reviewers have not gone so far as to suggest that Truly, Madly Viking is on par with the great (e.g. traditional) literary masterpieces, in comparing it to the much-accoladed Mendel's Dwarf (a New York Times Notable Book), I have come to realize that it need not be content with second-highest. It is a work of, albeit under-appreciated, great merit. I would recommend it to other students as well as the reading public-at-large.

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Summary: Sandra Hill rocks
Review: Another hit from Sandra Hill!! Funny yet very hot at the right spots. I am trying to read all of her books.

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Summary: Very cute.....
Review: Pretty cute book, hero is definitely a hunk, heroine is very likeable, intelligent, person (her twins are just toooo cute). Umm... don't think this one will be on my keepers shelf; it's really hard to say why - it just didn't grab hold of me. I usually finish a keeper in 1 to 2 days, this one was easy to lay down over & over again - it took me 4 days to read it. I probably would have given it a 3 1/2 stars if that was an option. I did enjoy many parts of it though so I'm not saying it was a bad read; It just didn't have that special something. I guess it didn't sit well with me that Jorund wasn't more amazed by the everyday conveniences (sp?) in the twenty-first century; Also, there were a number of other characters in the book who we had came to know a little & then they were just kind of dropped.... thought their story should have been completed just a little bit at least. However, as you can see, it has really good reviews here on Amazon, so if you like Vikings & time-travel then do give it a try.

Rating:
Summary: Very cute.....
Review: Pretty cute book, hero is definitely a hunk, heroine is very likeable, intelligent, person (her twins are just toooo cute). Umm... don't think this one will be on my keepers shelf; it's really hard to say why - it just didn't grab hold of me. I usually finish a keeper in 1 to 2 days, this one was easy to lay down over & over again - it took me 4 days to read it. I probably would have given it a 3 1/2 stars if that was an option. I did enjoy many parts of it though so I'm not saying it was a bad read; It just didn't have that special something. I guess it didn't sit well with me that Jorund wasn't more amazed by the everyday conveniences (sp?) in the twenty-first century; Also, there were a number of other characters in the book who we had came to know a little & then they were just kind of dropped.... thought their story should have been completed just a little bit at least. However, as you can see, it has really good reviews here on Amazon, so if you like Vikings & time-travel then do give it a try.

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Summary: Truly, Truly Enjoyable
Review: Suspend disbelief of time-travel long enough to read Sandra Hill's sequel to The Last Viking and you'll have yourself a truly delightful reading experience. Chock full of humor and pathos, this latest addition to Hill's Viking series is bound to touch your heart at some level. At times I found myself laughing out loud, while other times I found a lump forming in my throat as I read of Jorund's (Joe's) loss of family, his bewilderment in a new land and his attempts to help those in the mental-health facility support group into which he has been thrust. His blossoming relationship with Maggie is definitely steamy and that with her twin daughters(who so remind him of his loss) tugged my heartstrings more than once. His fascination with TV soap operas, Big Macs, the Internet and other aspects of our lives that we take for granted are shown humorously through the eyes of one for whom this is a whole new world.

Ms. Hill has just the right touch when it comes to creating intelligent, good-hearted characters with whom you can sympathize and filling their mouths with words that will make you chuckle or get misty-eyed. Her secondary character, former Navy SEAL, Steve Askey (did anyone else read ASCII in this?), and his story (and how Jorund helped Steve with PTSD) is poignant and served to increase my liking of Jorund as a character and Ms. Hill as an author.

I, like the characters in the story, am skeptical of time-travel, but I do believe in miracles. If this describes you, also, then you won't be disappointed with Truly, Madly Viking.

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Summary: Let your imagination go! Viking humor & romance at its best
Review: This is enormously entertaining romance humor! It is all done in the name of a tenth century Viking warrior transplanted to the year 2000. This is a sequel to The Last Viking but it can be read and enjoyed without reading The Last Viking first.

Jorund Ericsson, our hero, arrives in the year 2000 riding a whale. Not only does he arrive in the twenty first century on the back of whale totally nude - but also he does so in front of a huge audience at an ocean amusement park! Needless to say, he is considered much the oddity and probably mentally unstable.

Maggie McBride, the heroine, and her twin daughters are at the ocean park and witness Jorund's shocking appearance. Maggie is a practicing psychologist and steps in to protect Jorund and has him sent to the private mental hospital she works at. She fears the treatment he may receive under the wrong psychiatric care.

I must admit I had my doubts about this book since the hero spends almost the entire first half of the book in a psychiatric hospital. What a way to make the hero seem less than a hero! But it doesn't work out that way. Despite his crazy crash landing, riding a whale into the year 2000 and his subsequent commitment to a psychiatric hospital, this hero oozes he-man stuff and is really sexy to boot! He is, as a proper Viking warrior should be, dominant big time!

It is so much fun to laugh at (or with) Jorund's tremendously amusing character and in doing so, laughing at ourselves as we read some of these romance novels. Jorund does have an incredible sense of humor. Some of the most entertaining moments in the book are the times Jorund is attempting to translate new English words to his tenth century English knowledge. In his mind we hear him translate doctor into dock whore. Nurse Gladys Hatcher becomes Norse Glad-ass Hatch-her. Maggie is Mag-he. Natalie is Not-a-lie. Fred is Furr-red and Harvey is Hair-vee. This is only a small representation of the interpretations Jorund attempts as he endeavors to assess this new world and figure what is going on.

Maggie is a great heroine. She is just so sensible and non-judgmental. She appoints herself as Jorund's psychologist and oversees his treatment. Hew twin daughters are great secondary characters and are vital to the story. I was rarely bored with even a full page of this book. The secondary characters from the hospital were sometimes tiresome but fortunately little time is spent on them.

Since this story is about time travel, we have to live through the ever present attempt of the time traveler to return to his time. Although this book would be considered a comedy, this return scene is one that breaks your heart.

The sensual scenes are few and occur during the last third of the book but are very sensual indeed. Since Jorund is a Viking, the author portrays him as a very aggressive barbarian with savage sexual appetites (but certainly NOT selfish) in the sensual scenes. The scenes themselves rate a 4.5 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines) but due to their infrequency, I rate these scenes an overall 4.0.

Truly, Madly Viking is a snappy story that allows you to zoom along enjoying the story with every page. It is a definite keeper for me. I know that I will enjoy reading it again someday. And I am sure that I will laugh just as hard each time I read it.

Rating:
Summary: ok but not as good as the first book
Review: This is the sequel to "The Last Viking" which I really enjoyed. I liked the humor in that book and the love scenes were very hot. This book was humorous and the love scenes were very hot but I just didn't really get into the characters as much. The hero is the brother from the first book. His name is Jorund and he has bee sent on a quest by his father to find his brother Rolf. Now this is back in 998 AD in the Norse lands. With the help of a unique killer whale he is transported to modern day Galveston Texas. Where he shows up naked at Orcaworld where he meets up with the heroine, Maggie. She is there with her twin girls enjoying the show when this drop dead gorgeous hunk shows up. She is a psychologists and he is taken to the hospital where she works and she is put incharge of his care. She is very attracted to him as he is to her and when he finally starts to talk it is quite funny. Along the way he becomes involved in her life at the hospital and later her home life. they blend very well but he is trying his best to keep his distance from her kids kids and he keeps his heart out of the picture because he knows he must go back to his time to resume his quest. I liked the secondary characters and was cheering for them. I would have liked it if the twins had played a bit more of a part in this. It was an enjoyable read but not as good as the first.

Rating:
Summary: ok but not as good as the first book
Review: This is the sequel to "The Last Viking" which I really enjoyed. I liked the humor in that book and the love scenes were very hot. This book was humorous and the love scenes were very hot but I just didn't really get into the characters as much. The hero is the brother from the first book. His name is Jorund and he has bee sent on a quest by his father to find his brother Rolf. Now this is back in 998 AD in the Norse lands. With the help of a unique killer whale he is transported to modern day Galveston Texas. Where he shows up naked at Orcaworld where he meets up with the heroine, Maggie. She is there with her twin girls enjoying the show when this drop dead gorgeous hunk shows up. She is a psychologists and he is taken to the hospital where she works and she is put incharge of his care. She is very attracted to him as he is to her and when he finally starts to talk it is quite funny. Along the way he becomes involved in her life at the hospital and later her home life. they blend very well but he is trying his best to keep his distance from her kids kids and he keeps his heart out of the picture because he knows he must go back to his time to resume his quest. I liked the secondary characters and was cheering for them. I would have liked it if the twins had played a bit more of a part in this. It was an enjoyable read but not as good as the first.

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Summary: Excellent Sequel to 'The Last Viking'!!!!
Review: This is the sequel to 'The Last Viking'. This is the story of Rolfe's(main character from Last Viking) brother, Jorund. Jorund goes on a search to find his brother after he disapeared in the sea off the coast of Iceland. What Jorund finds instead is the killer whale named Thora that takes him against his will to the year 2000. Jorund is a Viking from the year 998. He doesn't realize he has traveled through time and he is now in the 21st century until he is placed in a mental hospital by a doctor Maggie McBride, who he thinks is called Dock-whore Mag-he Muckbride, this is where the story gets funny. Jorund tries to convince Mag-he with "the man-hair" that he is a 10th century Viking, but she thinks he is delusional. Suffice to say the tale gets funnier and more crazy as it goes along until Mag-he with the 'man-hair' and the 'sex-voice' finds herself madly and truly in love with the Viking named Joe(this is her nickname for him). Jorund must find why he was sent to this time and place and why. When Maggie finally realizes he is telling the truth, they must find out why he is there and if he will return to his time. I LOVED this book so much, it was just as funny as the first "The Last Viking". All of Sandra Hill's books are hysterical and so sizzling hot that you find yourself either saying, "Hahaha, I can't believe he said that!" or "Wow!". She is an extremely talented writter and she deserves recognition. She is a breath of fresh air to the romance genre. Keep up the superb work Sandra!

Tracy Talley~@

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Summary: Sandra Hill has a gift for writing keepers!
Review: Truly, Madly Viking By Sandra Hill Published by Dorchester Published July, 2000

What do you get when you combine a mind-reading whale, a perfectly sane Viking warrior, a trip through time, and a modern day lady psychiatrist? Another keeper from Sandra Hill, of course!

Jorund Ericsson was on a quest to locate his missing brother when Thora, the mind-reading whale, found a way not only to communicate with Jorund but also a way to deliver him naked as the day he was born to the year 2000.

Claiming to be a Viking warrior, Jorund finds himself in a psychiatric hospital among the oddest assortment of lackwits he'd ever seen - and under the care of Dr. Maggie McBride. Now, in addition to his quest to locate his missing brother, Jorund must prove his sanity, contend with his growing attraction to Maggie, and get back to his own time where he belongs. But is his destiny in the year 998 AD or in Maggie McBride's 21st century arms?

A hilarious adventure with fabulously crafted characters and a story that is as fast paced and unforgettable as it is engaging. Sandra Hill has a gift for writing keepers!